The Chimera Group．New Visions on Urbanism | Cities and Cuisine

Introduction

Chimera Reading Salon: New Perspectives of the City continues the spirit of The Chimera Group, a transdisciplinary arts society founded in the 1950s by Mr. Wang Dao, who often invited artists to meet in his home. The Chimera Group started from “architecture” and gradually expanded to performing arts, art, literature, photography, and commentary. Years of free and open cross-domain communication at Wang Daishi's home. With “City” at its core, the first series will invite Professor Wang Zhihong, Institute of Architecture and Urbanism, National Taiwan University, and special guests to explore new perspectives on urban space culture through six of his translated urban space books. The final lecture will be based on the book “The Diner: Democracy and Zoning in the Gourmet Landscape”, which will lead students to an in-depth discussion through an introductory reading by Professor Wang Zhihong and sharing by special guest Chen Ching Yi.

“Diners: Democracy and Zoning in the Gourmet Landscape”
‍A Dietary Research Writing from a Food Lover
‍Speaking of diners, what do you think? Is Han Shu an up-and-coming socialite at Michelin restaurants or a blogger keen to dig into the specialty shops? In fact, the foodie sees food as the core of self-identity, not just the person who needs to survive. In the eyes of gourmets, food is not only a source of heat, but also as a cultural work, constantly appreciated and appreciated by everyone. And the taste choices of individual foodies reveal not only their tongue-in-cheek preferences, but also reveal the ethnic, gender, or class tastes behind different dietary aesthetics.
Food can be political, as demonstrated by the consumer protest movement sparked by the food safety crisis in Taiwan, while the food culture reflects the current trend of “ethical consumption”. Eco-friendly arguments about local eating, eating orders, and sustainable farming practices around the world, hand-made food against large food producers, and the rise of an understanding of ethnic cuisine, and the rise of a diversity of values have all made a distinction between good and bad food. Let me be a citizen at the table and start by stepping into the world of diners and understanding the social meaning behind food.